"I wish she was here." Catherine didn't look at him. "I know if she was, I wouldn't be queen already, and Mumeleine and the younger kids wouldn’t be here, but I still wish she would be here for all the... festivities, I guess you'd call them."
Jake didn't respond verbally but did wrap anarm around her shoulders and pull her into his side. Her arm came up and went around his back, her hand settling on his other hip.
After staring for another minute, she seemed to shake herself out of her melancholy mood. "Come on. I want to show you something."
She surprised him when she took his hand, but he let himself be led to the basement portion of the archives. Once there, she surprised him again when she didn't stop to look at any of the antiquities there. Instead, she took him to an out-of-the-way door.
On the other side, the modern palace didn't exist. The air was definitely cooler and the stone walls weren't as well-sculpted as the rest of the palace. The dim lighting came from sconces on the walls. There were no doors until they turned at a corner a ways down.
"Is this a tunnel?" he asked as he looked around, trying to figure out where they were.
"No. It's a corridor. It's just in a part of the palace that's rarely used and therefore hasn't been updated." She still held his hand as they went down a much shorter corridor then turned again.
This corridor was wider with doors on either side. They weren't overly close together, but they weren't far either.
Near the other end, she stopped and looked both ways before taking a key out of her pocket and using it to unlock the door.
She opened it just a crack then turned to him. "I've never shown anyone this. As far as I know, no one even knows it exists."
Jake squeezed her hand lightly. "You don't have to show me."
Catherine shook her head. "No. I want to. I just want to make sure you know that no one else knows so I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't mention it."
He smiled at her. "Of course. Your secrets are safe with me."
She opened the door and preceded him into the small room.
A cozy chair sat in front of the lone window. A single light on one wall illuminated the room. It had been added fairly recently based on the casing that sat on the outside of the stone walls. One end went to a switch near the door. The other ended with an electrical outlet attached to the floor next to the wall. He suspected it had been run along the wall until it could get somewhere electricity already existed. At least, the grout against that wall didn't appear to be the same age as the rest of the building. The other outlet was in use but that cord went to a small refrigerator/freezer unit.
"What is this place?" He spun in a circle to see what else he might have missed and found a small dresser against one wall.
"The rooms down here used to be for servants, especially those who weren't in favor with the monarch or someone else in power, like the head of household. Now, there are only a few that are ever used except for tours. That's only when we have a very significant number VIPs and their staff members staying here in the palace." She stood next to the window and stared out at the city scape beyond.
Jake stood behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her back to him. Her arms covered his.
"This is where I come when I need to be alone." Her head leaned back against his shoulder. "It's the only place I can truly be myself." She tipped her head toward the refrigerator. "I keep a couple of pints of ice cream or gelato in there and some clothes and hair ties in the dresser. I change into something cozy and read a book or eat some junk food or just sit and stare."
He turned his head slightly and kissed the side of her head. "Thank you for sharing this with me."
"I couldn't even truly be myself in the Monarch's Quarters. There was too much responsibility to be a good influence and good leader and all of those other things. I couldn't just be cranky or wallow or anything like that. About thetime I turned eighteen, I found these rooms and managed to sneak things in here. Knowing there was a door from the archive storage area made it easier. Still does help with getting different clothes or snacks and trash in and out of here."
"If I can help you with that, let me know. No one would think twice about me stashing some stuff in a fridge or notice if I carried a bag downstairs." He'd like to help her if she'd let him.
"Thank you for the offer. I'll probably take you up on it at some point." Catherine reached into the pocket of her blue jeans and slipped something metal into his hand.
"What's this?" He turned his palm up to see an old fashioned key.
"It's for the door. If you ever need a place to hide for a little bit." He could see her wrinkle her nose in the reflection of the window. "Or if I can't be found or answer my phone. It's possible I've fallen asleep in here. I've done it a couple of times, but never when I was missed."
Jake already knew he wouldn't come here unless she asked or he desperately needed to find her.
With a deep breath in then out, Catherine turned in his arms and rested a hand on his chest. "Thank you."
"My pleasure." He reached up to brush a bit of hair out of her face. "I hope you can be completely yourself in our home, wherever that ends up being. The cottage, the Monarch's Quarters, or somewhere else. Someday, I hope you trust me enough to let your metaphorical hair down around me."
"I've got closer to doing so with you than I have with anyone else in a long time." She leaned up and brushed a kiss against the corner of his mouth. "I'll get there. It might take a little while, but I'll get there."
She sighed again and stepped completely out of his embrace. "We need to get back to the cottage and get some rest. The alarms will go off incredibly early tomorrow."
